In the industry section of the 58th Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, taking place from October 9 to 19 in Spain, Los Eastman, written and to be directed by Mauricio Leiva-Cock, will participate in the Sitges FanPitch section. The project has received support and guidance from the International Promotion Department of Proimágenes Colombia to attend this event.
Currently in development and seeking financing, with shooting slated for January 2027, this genre-bending feature is co-written by director Mauricio Leiva-Cock (“The Night of the Beast,” “The Head of Joaquín Murrieta”) and Diego González Cruz. The film is produced by Adriana Aparicio, Sebastián Hernández, Juan Manuel Betancourt, and David Figueroa García, in co-production with Fidelio Films (Mexico) and Colombian partners Maleza Cinema, Ruvrika, and Aparicio. Aparicio produced the Sitges winner “Llanto Maldito,” while Maleza Cinema, founded by Leiva-Cock, develops bold, socially driven genre projects. Ruvrika is led by Hernández, editor of “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” and Betancourt, executive producer of “Transition” (Tribeca 2023). Set in Bogotá during a virus outbreak, the story follows Viviana, a housekeeper held captive by her wealthy employers. Her struggle to escape and reunite with her family leads to a terrifying transformation revealing that privilege itself may be the true infection. Inspired by real events during COVID, the film shifts from social drama to psychological thriller, horror and ultimately, gore. “We call it Social Gore,” says Leiva-Cock, “a Latin American blend of ‘Parasite,’ ‘Get Out,’ and ‘Revenge’.”